Raynham, August 10.

these words,

Preached in the afternoon from "He that hath the bride is the bridegroom," &c. I trust that I fpake under the leadings and teachings of the Spirit of truth. Things new and old were brought to my mind, and a wide door of utterance was opened to me. How eafy and pleasant is it to preach, when God affifts; but oh, how hard and unpleasant, without the fenfible prefence of Christ, and the affiftances of his Spirit. How fafe to preach what the diviné Spirit has indited; but how dangerous to inculcate what human wifdom hath invented! Alas! how much has human wisdom crowded into our worship, which, by many, is accounted divine, and in this way damped the flame of holy zeal and excluded the power of true godlinefs! Vital religion feems, in moft places, to have degenerated into a cold and lifelefs form. We indeed fee the fhadow, but alas! where is the fubftance? A reformation feems almost as neceflary now, as it did thirty years paft. Oh Lord, revive thine own work, in the midst of thefe years. Oh, be merciful to us, and let our times be times of refreshing from thy glorious prefence. Come, Lord Jefus; oh come in Pentecoft effufions of thy Spirit. Even fo come, Lord

Jefus, come quickly. Amen and Amen.

1770.

Chatham, (Cape Cod) May 19. Preached two fermons in this place; the latter, with much freedom. Felt love to fouls, and found a marvellous door of utterance. The gofpel feemed to fhine as with fun beams, and the people to hear with interested and very folemn attention.

20th. Sabbath day. The house where 1 preached was crowded with people, who heard as for eternity. Mr. N. baptized an adult person who had not been baptized in infancy. I faw the baptift or baptizer, and the baptized both go down into the water and come up out of the water. Between these two events, the fubject received baptifm by-fprinkling. The tranfaction appeared exceedingly folemn. I do not recollect ever to have seen a perfon baptized in that circumftantial manner before; but it appears to me conformable to apostolic practice.

23d. Was much quickened this morning while at breakfaft; faw the need of love or charity among chrif tians, and was made very fentible of my own defects with relation to that fuperexcellent and heavenly grace. Felt willing to give fatisfaction to any of my fellow christians, wherein I had, in any meafure, and at any time, grieved or offended any of them, through a warm and uncharitable temper. My foul was frequently melted into tenderness. Preached in the afternoon with much fenfibility and affection. The word I trust reached the hearts of fome. Oh, that it might profper! Preached again in the evening. I have now, in 21 days, preached 36 fermons. Bleffed be God, who has fupported and carried my weak body through fo much la bour and fatigue. Surely they who wait upon the Lord do renew their strength, as the eagle. I humbly truft that I have often realized the truth of this encouraging declaration.

24th. Came home from my Cape journey. During this journey faw numbers awakened, and chriftians fweetly comforted and confirmed. I have preached fince the firft of January, in two journies upon the Cape, upwards of 130 fermons, and about 40 on a journey to Bolton, notwithstanding my bodily weaknefs, often infirmities, and frequent colds. When I reflect upon what I have performed, and been carried through, and upon the fresh recruits I have experienced, both bodily and fpiritual, I am almost a wonder to myself. I defire to pen down these things with a view only to the glory of God, upon whom I have been wholly dependent.

Since the great earthquake, Nov. 18, 1755, I have preached more than 300 fermons a year, befides riding, in each year, nearly 3000 miles; and yet, through the good hand of God upon me, none of my bones have been broken. And now, if it were asked me, Lacked you any thing? I can fay, I have lacked nothing.

I leave the above as my teftimony to the truth and faithfulness of God.

Thursday, May, 1770.

JOSEPH CROSWELL.

P. S. I trust the Lord has converted fome scores of people on the Cape fince Jan. laft; a confiderable number of whom were middle aged; and several men with their wives. Among the hopeful converts is to be numbered one man, nearly 80 years old, and 3 Quakers. I know not but fome hundreds of people were under ferious impreffion, the laft winter. The religious attention has been chiefly confined to the fouth fide of the Cape, from Chatham to Bafs Ponds, in Yarmouth. Dancing and frolicking have been entirely broken up wherever this attention has prevailed, and the works of darkness have difappeared.

1772.

Bafs Ponds, (On the Cape) Jan. 1. A new year this day commences. God grant it may be a year of Jubilee. Found freedom in prayer in the morning, that this might be the happy event. Bleffed be God for his abundant goodness to me, and my family, and our nation, in the courfe of the year paft. And, oh God, forgive us all our fins, national, family and perfonal. Should it please thee to spare our lives another year, oh, that they may be spent more abundantly to thine honour and glory than they ever have been, any year, heretofore. Oh God, grant it for Christ's fake. Amen.

9th. Warwick. Religion feems to revive again in thefe parts, and yet I verily believe that fectarianism has become fo rigid, in fome inftances, as to injure the cause of gospel charity or true religion. A young man, too much under the influence of this unhallowed leaven, and fenfible of the truth of the above remark, made an open and public confeffion of his fault. An excellent example for imitation. May the time foon come, when bigotry and uncharitablenefs, in whomfoever it may be found, may thus be confessed and forsaken.

12th. Sabbath day. Saw three children baptized. The administration of the ordinance was apparently accompanied with divine and powerful influences. I fenfibly felt my foul drawn out, just before the adminif tration, to Jefus Chrift, fupplicating the feal of his Spirit upon the ordinance. Bleffed be his holy name, I can.

not but hope, that the fupplication was acceptable to him, and that a merciful anfwer was vouchfafed.

1 have enjoyed ftrong and delightful confolations on this journey in feeing a number of fouls awakened, and in hopeful views of the near approach of a great and glorious revival of religion. Lord, haften the glorious event. Oh, may thy kingdom foon come, and will be done in earth, as in heaven. Amen.

1773.

Salem, (Mafs.) April 1ft. Preached in the evening in a large warehouse, which had been fitted up for religious meetings, to a very large concourfe of people. Some hundreds were thought to go away for want of room. Lord, evermore keep me humble; deliver me from the influence of spiritual pride, and preferve me from the infellious and poisonous breath of popularity.

gth. Lynn. Preached in the evening from thefe words, "Behold the Lamb of God." A young gentleman, a school master from a neighbouring town, was providentially at the meeting. He appeared deeply affected under the word preached, and afterwards, obferved that I had reached his particular cafe. Lord, fasten the truth upon his foul like a nail in a fure place. The young man would not leave the house, but tarried till the next day. Oh, how wonderful and mysterious are the methods of divine Providence! How harmoniously do they confpire to accomplish the divine word and will! Christ must needs go through Samaria. And his meaneft difciple must follow his steps to accomplish his defigns. Of him, and to him, and through him are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Preached three fer

N. Bridgewater, July 19th. mons in this place. Serious attention apparent among the people. This day is obferved as a fast through all the itates. Oh that it may be an acceptable day to the Lord. Will God, in mercy to the land, give a spirit of

prayer and repentance to his perfecuted and afflicted people. For the cry of the poor and for the fighing of the needy, may the Lord arife, and, in his own time and way, fet them in fafety from thofe who unjustly rife up against them.

Auguft ft. Plympton. My fon leaves us this day for the army. Oh God, cover his head, if called to it, in the day of battle. Let him not die, till by faith he hath feen the Lord's Christ. My foul, I truft, committed him to God; and I parted with him in a calm and tranquil state of mind, praying for the bleffing of God upon our army, and that he would fight our battles for us, and deliver us from our oppreffors. Am perfuaded that God will thus appear Amen.

for us.

COPY OF A LETTER TO MR. J. B, MINISTER IN PERS. PITANK COUNTY, (NORTH CAROLINA) DATED PLY

MOUTH.

Dear Sir,

I HAVE received your kind letter, which now lies before me. I have read the contents with much fatisfaction, and am defirous that the correspondence between us fhould be kept up, if the Lord will.

Your account of the rife and progress of religion in North Carolina is wonderful, and was undoubtedly begun and carried on by Jefus Chrift, that wonderful Counsellor and mighty God, by instruments of his own choofing; inftruments, by whom, to still the enemy and avenger.

I rejoice to hear that the wilderness begins to blossom as the rofe; that North Carolina and Virginia are stretching out their hands to embrace the all-conquering Redeemer. May the handful of fpiritual corn, upon the mountain of Zion, increase to a rich and abundant harveft, waving with pendant ears, like Solomon's fruitful fields of Lebanon.

Dear Sir, arife up to the harveft, for the fields feem already white, and, with diligence, ufe your threshing inftruments. We must not think much of fweating in harvest time, for it lafts but a small part of the year,